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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-05-2014 01:48 AM

doggiedad

how much training on open steps did you do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juliem24

>>>> Every dog I've owned was afraid of "open" stairs, none as much as the GSD though.<<<<

We had to carry him down my daughters stairs when we were visiting, he was terrified. He will go up, though tentative. Would not go down. I thought maybe because they're so "front heavy",and have less control going down.

02-05-2014 01:44 AM

doggiedad

have his eyes checked.

02-05-2014 12:16 AM

brembo

A friend of mine (VERY wealthy) has a set of stairs in his vacation home that are "floating". The main spar that holds the steps is structural plexi, so it's near invisible. His dogs won't go near it, you have to take the elevator down/up to the pool room with the dogs. Sort of works out as the pool has no shallow side steps, just a ladder.

02-04-2014 11:44 PM

Juliem24

Every dog I've owned was afraid of "open" stairs, none as much as the GSD though. We had to carry him down my daughters stairs when we were visiting, he was terrified. He will go up, though tentative. Would not go down. I thought maybe because they're so "front heavy",and have less control going down.

02-03-2014 10:00 PM

Loneforce

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverDan

Are the basement stairs open on the vertical? Maybe install vertical kickers?

I was just going to type this. It helped my ginger by doing that because she used to trip on the steps all the time. I read somewhere where dogs sometimes have a judgment problem when the can see through the back sides of the stairs. So I filled the gaps in; in the backs of the steps, and she was more comfortable and did not trip going up "or down" the steps anymore.

02-03-2014 09:52 PM

RiverDan

Are the basement stairs open on the vertical? Maybe install vertical kickers?

02-03-2014 09:49 PM

Ltleo

Do you have stairs that are wood or carpet? Could be he ran up and fell or slid so now he or she is tentative of them. How are his or her nails? Might be a little LNG?also rule out injury.

02-03-2014 09:32 PM

Flynn

Thank you.. If you find anything please let me know.. We have been using treats and a lot of praise. He LOVES to play ball so we tried tempting him with that, and nothing...one of the games he loves to play when it's not nice outside is play catch on the house stairs.. It's just the basement stairs that scares him... Very weird... I wish they could talk! Haha!

We have the use identical problem with our boy. Am still trying different things.. Will let you know if I find anything that works. People here will give you some great ideas and maybe one of them will work for you.n

02-03-2014 09:21 PM

RiverDan

Try treats on every step. Then every other step, every third..etc.

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